This thesis investigates how adult learners continuously negotiate their relationship with schoolroom mathematics through discourses akin to being ‘more’ or ‘less’ able to ‘do’ and ‘be’ mathematical. It argues that mathematical identities are politically and socially constructed, and that available forms of knowledge inscribe particular mathematical practices on the individual in the classroom. By paying attention to the precarious and contradictory productions of the self, and investigating the allure of undergoing a transformation of the self, I contribute to critical understandings of the psychic costs of re-engaging with learning mathematics as an adult learner. This analysis is a critical narrative inquiry of stories of adults (not)taming mathematics. As an iterative study into identity formation it puts theory to work in unusual ways. In bringing together internal and external processes (and the intersection of biography, aspiration and discursive practice), I unmask how participants underwent what Mendick (2005) calls “identity work”. Working with a Lacanian psychoanalytical through a Foucauldian tradition, I navigate the construction of selfhood during processes of reinvention as (non)mathematical subjects, experiencing ‘success’ (and alienation) through models of collaborative learning, in the contemporary mathematical classroom. The study examines the lived experiences of 11 adult learners using a range of qualitative methods. I actively seek the complexities within various types of provision (including adult education, further education, work-based learning, and community outreach programs) and the multiple forms of knowledge available (or not) through authoritarian discourses of education. Engaging a mobile epistemology, this thesis connects subject positions, techniques of power, psychic costs of reinventing the self, and how the processes of visceral embodiment of mathematics affects learning in the classroom. It argues that mathematical identities are discursively constructed, and the relationship between selfhood and ‘being’ and ‘doing’ mathematical-ness is told as much through narratives characterised by affection as by fear. Rather than provide answers or ‘best practice’ for the collaborative classroom, I conclude with an explanation of why I question common sense assumptions, such as that adult learners want to be placed in a hierarchical positions and judged as independent mathematical thinkers in class, and the practical implications for this in the classroom.

This research uses a case study approach to examine the learning experiences of mature non-specialist first year undergraduate university students studying mathematics as an ancillary subject. The challenges faced by such students taking mathematics as a subsidiary subject within their main degree have not been adequately addressed in the literature: this study seeks to address this gap. The research took place in a UK inner-city post-1992 university which has a very diverse student intake. A qualitative data set was generated from in-depth and focus group interviews of 22 mature students, the majority of whom were non-specialists taking mathematics as a required ancillary subject. An additional quantitative data set was derived from a questionnaire distributed to 250 students taking first year mathematics modules, either as an ancillary or as a specialism subject. A small number of mature students specialising in mathematics in both the interviews and the survey were included in order to compare the experiences and views of the both specialist and non-specialist groups. The Mixed Methods Research Design adopted combined results from the qualitative and quantitative analyses, and was accompanied by a post-structuralist theoretical framework which examines the discursive practices students were exposed to in relation to their construction of mathematics as a subject and their experiences of learning mathematics. The study shows that the major perceived factors that affect mature non-specialist students learning of mathematics include the pedagogical model that is used; the attitudes and beliefs of the learners; the support available to aid learning; and the prevalent discourses about the learning and perceptions of mathematics. These findings have a number of important implications for policy and practice for teaching mathematics to such students, for our understanding of student identities and for widening participation. The evidence from this study suggest that there should be a shift of government policy on access and financing for mature students; a review of mechanism of financial support for mature students; changes in the organisation and resourcing of small classes; a review of curriculum and pedagogy to fit the diverse background of learners; and the development of mathematics support provisions that are embedded in courses that require mathematical skills.

The focus of my research is to explore the experiences of female academic staff in a number of higher education institutions in Pakistan. The research looked at female academic staff perceptions in light of their socio-cultural experiences and how societal as well as cultural norms impacted their institutional experiences. It also investigated female academic career progression and work-life conflict which impacts their lives. The research also explored how multiple identities are adopted by these academics in their attempt to adjust to institutional life. A feminist discourse was adopted to understand female academic staff position in Pakistani society. From a methodological perspective, data was generated by conducting face-to-face interviews of 16 female academic staff from the four provinces in Pakistan. Sample was identified by snowballing technique and data was analysed thematically from the transcribed interviews. My findings show that female academics experience significant work-life conflict and career stagnation. Respondents indicated that their treatment was often based on their gender which was historically located and supported by male cultural and societal dominance. There was societal role differentiation with men being the bread-winners whereby women had a domestic role. Domestic responsibilities included women having to look after the home and the extended family. Within the institutions female academics are employed, their treatment was based on institutional ‘maleness’ whereby women were often denied opportunities to develop their careers in par with their male colleagues. Respondents indicated that institutional understanding of equality issues was often limited to policy rhetoric with little sign of policies being implemented. Overall, the findings show that for female academics there are a myriad of issues at institutional and societal level that need to be addressed to improve their overall experiences.

This study traces the professional learning of student teachers who have lived and studied outside the UK, and successfully applied to follow a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) course in London to become teachers of mathematics in English schools. It draws upon Bourdieu’s theory of habitus and field to discuss how these student teachers adapt their capitals, as described in migration studies by Erel (2010) and Nowicka (2015) and how, during initial teacher training (ITT), they develop professional capitals for the teaching of mathematics (Nolan, 2012). Recent migration flows have led to a growth of diversity, as measured by countries of origin, in London and other cities around the world, resulting in what Vertovec (2006) has called superdiversity. Through a series of semi-structured interviews with 16 PGCE student teachers hailing from 13 different countries, this study explores the implications of superdiversity for the practices of training teachers. The focus of the research is on the complications of ‘bring[ing] off’ (MacLure, 2003:55) the embodied performance of becoming a teacher, and on how student teachers develop ‘enough’ (Blommaert and Varis, 2011:5) professional capital to pass the course. This leads to a reassessment of the category ‘highly skilled migrant’, which is used to define those who have academic qualifications for teaching from outside the UK. The study uses instead the term ‘highly qualified migrant’, to argue that a mathematical degree needs to be complemented by knowledge of the national mathematics curriculum, national pedagogies and local communicative resources. It shows how London can become an ‘escalator region’ (Fielding, 1992:1), as the student teachers achieve a working life that matches their academic qualifications, and also their own aspirations and those of their families, in the UK and elsewhere. In so doing, they become part of a teaching workforce that reflects the growing superdiversity of the region’s school pupils.

Human resource development, specifically workforce training and talent development in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and its outcomes are the main goals of this study. This research investigation has focused on selected aspects of public policy strategies for workforce and human capital development in the UAE. More specifically, this investigation is aiming to investigate the effectiveness of various UAE Scholarship Programmes on workforce development. The research addresses how human capital development strategies for UAE Nationals, with specific and primary reference to university scholarship programmes, have had positive impacts on the development of those Nationals who successfully completed their programme within the last decade. Additionally this study asks what correlations there might be between the scholarships’ specific skills enhancement and the nature of the work in which alumni are presently engaged; and in what ways UAE Nationals believe their careers have developed as a result of the successful completion of their university scholarship programme; also to what extent UAE Nationals believe they have been able to impact positively on the institutions and organisations they work for. And indeed how do those participants who took part in this study feel about improvement of such programme for scholarship winners in the future? A mixed method design approach which integrated both quantitative and qualitative data was used. The quantitative data were collected through a survey, and qualitative data were collected from both the survey and through more in-depth individual interviews and focus group discussions with both alumni and public sector managers. The sample of the present study comprises a total of 206 alumni of both genders with (a 78% response rate) who participated in this study; and additional sample of 33 alumni also included, as well as three public sector mangers who had in=depth interviews. Using Kirkpatrick’s four level criteria of evaluation of alumni learning experience abroad. That is reactions and satisfaction, learning of the intended knowledge and skills, creation of behaviour change among participants and resulting in tangible impact on organisation as well employing other indicators which compared responses before 2006 and after 2006, the present research work indicated majority of participant’s alumni were very positive about their study experience aboard; participants claimed they have gained a wide range of skills and experience. Their future influence could include areas of high priority for development and leadership, including education, health and governance. Further results also showed that over 90% of alumni respondents have successfully completed their programmes of study; hence returned home and currently are working in the UAE. Majority of the participants also claimed that their programme contributed to international collaboration and partnerships. Overall evaluation and main outcomes of this study did not offer tangible evidence that scholarships are having a significant impact on institutional performance. There was also no noticeable difference between those institutions which had received relatively larger numbers of scholarships (Management, Biology, Engineering and Computer Sciences), and those who had received few. However, further in-depth assessment of individual institutions might be necessary in future to elicit such evidence and/or relationship links. Some results suggested that the scholarships offered by different ministries and departments will enable the transfer of skills and knowledge not only to individual award holders, but also to employers and relevant institutions. Finally, the main findings of the study lead to a number of recommendations to better support not only the integration of scholars in their workplaces but also the achievement of effective workforce plan to achieve the objective of Emiratisation Scheme and strategic vision on this important field of study which has been acknowledged at all UAE governmental levels.

Normative conceptions of age, as with other social markers such as gender, inform how persons are perceived by self and others. This thesis provides a critical view of ways in which age intersects with gender in the context of higher education in Britain. Located with the backdrop of discourses such as 'successful' or 'active' ageing and ‘Lifelong Learning’, experiences of older age are explored in the context of undergraduate study. Drawing on the accounts of twenty-one undergraduate students and six recent graduates, the thesis explores social constructions of older people, and of undergraduate students, and how these constructions play out in participants’ subjective experience of higher education. All (27) participants were aged over forty and twenty were aged over fifty. Foucault’s notions of Technologies of the Self , including his concept of power, is used here to explore how participants are positioned by, and also resist, normative discourses of age and gender. Judith Butler’s concept of performativity is mobilised to explore how performance of age varies according to gender and between subject roles such as student, friend or partner. I argue that the performativity of age is exposed within undergraduate courses. I contend that the presence of older undergraduate students disrupts constructions of what undergraduate study is, and should be, what it means to be a student, what it means to be a mature student and what it means to be older. The data are organized in three chapters: starting university, being at university and, then, life outside of university. The study reveals how older students’ claimed space in the university. I show that neoliberal imperatives, such as are contained in discourses of ‘Lifelong Learning’ and 'Active Ageing', become the standards by which individuals are measured and measure themselves. I find that participants’ age-associations, and identity-conceptions as an undergraduate student, have implications for relationships outside of the university and involve changed and changing identities. The participant's stories reveal varied experiences of student life, and thus unsettle notions of the 'traditional student' in new ways, calling attention to the complexities of what being an undergraduate student is like in contemporary Britain. In uncovering links and contradictions between old age and undergraduate study, I seek to illuminate the experiences and concerns of older undergraduates and to contribute to debates in both the sociology of education and social gerontology.

This ethnographic study explored how Black Ugandan British parents support their children’s learning in England. It is important to study this group because the parents in this study are Black migrants from Uganda and have an asylum seeking background, thus adding to our knowledge of asylum seeking and education. Moreover, little attention has been paid to this particular group before. The study comprises ten Black Ugandan British families with refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds in two London boroughs. Adopting an ethnographic and an interpretive approach allowed me to explore how Black Ugandan British parents supported their children’s education over time through data collected via long-term interactions, observations and semi-structured interviews with the ten families in their natural home environment settings. I adopted Yosso’s concept of community cultural wealth to analyse data from my study and the data was theorised using Critical Race Theory. Through this theoretical framework, I challenge the traditional interpretations of cultural capital, particularly in relation to educational support or provision, by highlighting various and different forms of capital Black Ugandan British parents use to support their children’s learning, which are unknown. This thesis contributes to knowledge by highlighting the different nature of parental educational support, educational strategies and the underlying factors that inform Black Ugandan British parents’ nature of parental educational support and educational strategies. I argue that Black Ugandan British parents’ culturalistic approach towards their children’s education within their homes and communities and additionally, the contribution they make towards their children’s learning are unrecognised in English schools and English education policy. Further, this thesis highlights class complexities and contributes to debates on class. The study found that Black Ugandan British parents with middle class backgrounds from Uganda, but positioned as working class parents in the UK, bring their Ugandan middle class backgrounds to supporting their children’s education in the UK, which calls for the need to understand Black Ugandan British parents’ middle class backgrounds and the influence they have on their ways of supporting their children’s education. My study shows that Black Ugandan British parents’ cultural, employment, educational and class backgrounds have a huge influence on how they support their children’s education. My study illuminates how class, ethnicity and culture shape Black British Ugandan children’s learning, and makes an original and important contribution to knowledge in this field.

A recent study of the language question in Mozambique criticises the fact that not enough practical attention is being given by the ruling party to the promotion of the Indigenous languages in spite of the rhetorical commitment to this. This research-study intends to argue for the need to empower Mozambican (and other Southern African) indigenous languages for more extended functions in national life. It is hoped that it will make a contribution to the understanding of the sociopsychological, sociolinguistic, and sociopolitical dimensions of language attitudes in the Mozambican language context. Therefore, the first Chapter will analyse the socio-historical foundations necessary for an understanding of current language attitudes in Mozambique. It is important to emphasise, at this point, that a more general sociological approach or an approach considering language attitudes will be adopted in preference to an approach with political analysis (such as Phillipson, R.). Considering that the Chapter presents a brief definition of the subject, a review of the literature and suggestions of areas for future research, I propose to divide it in two ; Part I and Part II. The second will attempt to provide a concise account of the present language situation in Mozambique. In the third Chapter, an investigation of language attitudes research in Mozambique will be carried out, together with pointers as to how such research may contribute to language policy-making, language-planning and action. Then, the study will outline the methodologies to be used in language attitudes research and suggest how future research should proceed. It will show the major findings of the research and discuss important areas for future studies. Finally, the Chapter will explore the attitudinal dimensions of language speaker numbers and power variables. Chapter four will discuss different aspects of the difficult issue of language use in education in Mozambique, in particular, and Southern Africa, in general. Chapter five will stress the need to promote the indigenous languages of Mozambique, in particular, and Southern Africa in general. Chapter six will consider the context of language planning in Mozambique and Southern Africa. The Chapter then will explore some traits of a forward-looking language planning policy for multilingual contexts. The concluding Chapter, will highlight the implications of the entire study for multilingual situations, discuss the implications of the findings for the question of language planning and language teaching in Mozambique, and make recommendations that those in this field may find useful.

This Covering Document offers a narrative addressing the contributory contexts, thematic coherences, and original contribution to knowledge made by the body of work presented for this award. It discusses the place and importance of critical enquiry concerning childhood and children’s lives in the curricula of Education Studies and cognate disciplinary fields. The body of work comprises eight formal outputs from nearly a decade of writing and publication that, in turn, draw on a longer career as teacher and academic. Its trajectory leads to the proposition that the declaration of The Anthropocene encourages us to reconsider and recast Enlightenment modernity and particularly those constructions of human nature and the natural world that inform commonplace thinking about children and their childhoods which, in turn, justify many of the practices, language and time-space organisation structuring educational institutions. The Anthropocene offers a framework within which to understand the historical provenance of the ideological condition identified as ‘Modern childhood’ and to reflect on its emerging implications for children’s lives in times of technological change, intercultural encounter, globalization and climate change. The Covering Document identifies recurrent topical themes in the body of work and offers a rationale for the historical, spatial, and social modes of analysis that are threaded through it. It also offers reflections on the way that the published material addresses its audience as pedagogically mediated content knowledge. The Covering Document asserts that The Anthropocenic proposition revitalises the place of the New Social Studies of Childhood within Education Studies, thereby offering a coherent and relevant direction for further growth that encourages us all to ‘take a wider look around’.

This thesis is a cross disciplinary consideration of the philosophical, psychological and pedagogical debates on the construction of place. This place discourse is interwoven with an investigation of the historical and current social, cultural and scientific representations of the unique and significant place of Antarctica and school research. Through the paradigm of critical educational research it relates this place discourse to the pedagogy of place. Classroom research, using an integrative mixed methods approach, was undertaken in an English, comprehensive, secondary school with mixed gender and ability 11-18 year old English students. This case study examines how representations influence English school students’ place perceptions of the Antarctic continent. Analysis of the classroom research with qualitative software identifies the key components and differences of the imaginations and the ‘realities’ of the students’ perceptions of Antarctica. The research establishes what and how varied representations influence the students’ place perceptions of this distant continent. It explores how digital representations across the continuum of the concept of place, a film place matrix and dialogical discussion could be employed to challenge and change student perceptions of place through critical reflection. The research brings the secondary students’ voice to the discourse of place construction. The findings suggest the teaching of place needs to move beyond the socio constructive approach to a social realist understanding of place and to adopt a holistic pedagogical approach. The thesis highlights how students need to make conscious their unconscious perceptions of place and to critically engage with the place representations they encounter if they are to develop a deep sense of distant place.